I used to have a practice partner. She went back to work and is rarely available anymore.

I used to do weekly clinics with a pro with a rotating group of 4.0 women. This was terrific practice and instruction. Two of the women are rarely available, another is often injured. We just disbanded the clinic, which has existed in some form since 2006.

I used to do weekly private lessons. I could still do this, but I am not getting anywhere (to be expected given lack of practice opportunities). It is hard to make progress on 60 minutes of instruction a week.

That leaves me doing little but playing matches. This, too, has cratered. I'm losing and losing, my consistency is dropping, my confidence has evaporated. Just a month ago, I was winning against tough opponents, and now I can't put a ball in the court.

I need to reboot. How does one turn it around against such headwinds?

TennisCJC

04-30-2013 11:36 AM

Random thoughts in no particular order:

1. Join a flex singles leauge run over the Internet if available in your area.
2. Join a flex doubles and/or mixed leauge
3. Buy a ball machine to practice alone
4. Hit on a good wall once a week - great way to practice basics
5. Check local public clubs to see if they have round robins - maybe meet some new players
6. Join another USTA team to meet new players - I play ALTA which is local team league like USTA teams and this is how I met most of my practice partners.

Cindysphinx

04-30-2013 11:45 AM

You, sir, are a genius.

Your post reminded me that our county facility now has a ball machine for $10/hour. Not only that, but indoor court time costs just $10/hour beginning May 1.

Now I can work on what my pro wants me to do and generally find my Mojo!

sureshs

04-30-2013 11:47 AM

Try craigslist and meetup.com

Cindysphinx

04-30-2013 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sureshs
(Post 7378406)

Try craigslist and meetup.com

I poked around on craigslist and left, somewhat alarmed.

There seemed to be three types of ads.

1. Pros looking for students. I have a pro, so this is no help.

2. Self-described beginners looking for a hit. Oh, dear.

3. Men looking for women for a hit. Just a hit, they promise. They're married, see, so they don't want anything other than a hit, they swear. They just like to hit with women, see, that's all. : cringe :

Maybe meetup . . .

sureshs

04-30-2013 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378414)

I poked around on craigslist and left, somewhat alarmed.

There seemed to be three types of ads.

1. Pros looking for students. I have a pro, so this is no help.

2. Self-described beginners looking for a hit. Oh, dear.

3. Men looking for women for a hit. Just a hit, they promise. They're married, see, so they don't want anything other than a hit, they swear. They just like to hit with women, see, that's all. : cringe :

Maybe meetup . . .

There are many 4.0 and 4.5 men who post here on CL, and I have seen a couple of women posting too.

You should post and specify you need women only. Ignore any creepy posts from men pretending to be women. You can always ask them to show up at your club. Then it will be clear if they are faking it. If you can't tell even then, run..........

meetup here has at least 3 groups I know of. Some of them are the ones where you have to meetup and pay $2 or bring a can of balls, etc. Ignore all that and just put out a message that you just want to play one on one.

I forgot to mention tennisopolis.com

Also globaltennis network.com (join the 2 words)

Overdrive

04-30-2013 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378382)

I used to have a practice partner. She went back to work and is rarely available anymore.

I used to do weekly clinics with a pro with a rotating group of 4.0 women. This was terrific practice and instruction. Two of the women are rarely available, another is often injured. We just disbanded the clinic, which has existed in some form since 2006.

I used to do weekly private lessons. I could still do this, but I am not getting anywhere (to be expected given lack of practice opportunities). It is hard to make progress on 60 minutes of instruction a week.

That leaves me doing little but playing matches. This, too, has cratered. I'm losing and losing, my consistency is dropping, my confidence has evaporated. Just a month ago, I was winning against tough opponents, and now I can't put a ball in the court.

I need to reboot. How does one turn it around against such headwinds?

Cindy, I wish you luck on your recovery.

JRstriker12

04-30-2013 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378382)

I used to have a practice partner. She went back to work and is rarely available anymore.

I used to do weekly clinics with a pro with a rotating group of 4.0 women. This was terrific practice and instruction. Two of the women are rarely available, another is often injured. We just disbanded the clinic, which has existed in some form since 2006.

I used to do weekly private lessons. I could still do this, but I am not getting anywhere (to be expected given lack of practice opportunities). It is hard to make progress on 60 minutes of instruction a week.

That leaves me doing little but playing matches. This, too, has cratered. I'm losing and losing, my consistency is dropping, my confidence has evaporated. Just a month ago, I was winning against tough opponents, and now I can't put a ball in the court.

I need to reboot. How does one turn it around against such headwinds?

Hitting and practice partners come and go. When they drop it's just time to find new ones.

FWIW- I've had several long-term practice partners but due to changes in schedules, work, family, life in general - we no longer hit very often. It just happens.

Found some new hitting partners on tennisopolis and also reaching out to other players on a few tennis email lists I'm on. Also started a new clinic which just ended and I got the contact info of everyone who I might want to hit with. I've also asked other players I know if they know of anyone who might want to hit or is looking to practice.

Just wondering, the pro doesn't have any other students that could fill your clinic? Have you though about reaching out to other players you know?

Playtennis

04-30-2013 02:56 PM

Maybe ask your pro if he could recommend any hitting partners your level or put up a sign at a local club? Flex matches are a great way to get matches in which don't count. I struggle also to find hitting partners. Can you get into another clinic?

Gut4Tennis

04-30-2013 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378382)

I used to have a practice partner. She went back to work and is rarely available anymore.

I used to do weekly clinics with a pro with a rotating group of 4.0 women. This was terrific practice and instruction. Two of the women are rarely available, another is often injured. We just disbanded the clinic, which has existed in some form since 2006.

I used to do weekly private lessons. I could still do this, but I am not getting anywhere (to be expected given lack of practice opportunities). It is hard to make progress on 60 minutes of instruction a week.

That leaves me doing little but playing matches. This, too, has cratered. I'm losing and losing, my consistency is dropping, my confidence has evaporated. Just a month ago, I was winning against tough opponents, and now I can't put a ball in the court.

I need to reboot. How does one turn it around against such headwinds?

They all found out you write about them non stop and they just feel weird about it

sureshs

04-30-2013 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gut4Tennis
(Post 7378869)

They all found out you write about them non stop and they just feel weird about it

She changes their names, though.

jrs

04-30-2013 08:30 PM

How about take a week off!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378382)

I used to have a practice partner. She went back to work and is rarely available anymore.

I used to do weekly clinics with a pro with a rotating group of 4.0 women. This was terrific practice and instruction. Two of the women are rarely available, another is often injured. We just disbanded the clinic, which has existed in some form since 2006.

I used to do weekly private lessons. I could still do this, but I am not getting anywhere (to be expected given lack of practice opportunities). It is hard to make progress on 60 minutes of instruction a week.

That leaves me doing little but playing matches. This, too, has cratered. I'm losing and losing, my consistency is dropping, my confidence has evaporated. Just a month ago, I was winning against tough opponents, and now I can't put a ball in the court.

I need to reboot. How does one turn it around against such headwinds?

How about take a week off relax and don't think about tennis. For some reason when I take a break - my game improves. I guess in my mind hit perfect shots - without playing - I don't have all those unforced errors screwing up my mental game!

Good luck getting your game back - everyone has ups & downs.

Vilgan

04-30-2013 08:34 PM

Group lessons might also be a source of getting to know people at your level.

Relinquis

04-30-2013 09:01 PM

don't neglect drop feeding... worth doing for an hour a week to work on some technique.

also, it's easy to practice serves on your own.

Tennisguy3000

04-30-2013 10:43 PM

What about using the contraption at home between games? The PracticeHit is a great way to groove your strokes & footwork between games.

I just joined two more small outdoor tennis leagues in my area. At $ 60 each annually including court time it's a deal that is hard to beat.

Good luck in finding more people & matches to play ;-)

mmk

05-01-2013 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378402)

You, sir, are a genius.

Your post reminded me that our county facility now has a ball machine for $10/hour. Not only that, but indoor court time costs just $10/hour beginning May 1.

Now I can work on what my pro wants me to do and generally find my Mojo!

That is a really good deal. Is that PG county? I belong to Aspen Hill in MC, and I think rental is $30/hour, but that includes court time. By the way, there seems to be a lot of women playing during the day at Aspen Hill.

Clintspin

05-01-2013 04:07 AM

I think the "Back To School" article in the current version of 15/30 is a good read for you.

See if you can get on a team for the DC/Maryland women's Suburban League. It's fun playing one club against another and you will meet new people.

tennis_ocd

05-01-2013 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378414)

3. Men looking for women for a hit. Just a hit, they promise. They're married, see, so they don't want anything other than a hit, they swear. They just like to hit with women, see, that's all. : cringe :

Maybe meetup . . .

Just tell them your club has a battery powered machine that takes care of all your needs just the way you like it... men will understand.

Good luck... fwiw, I've had great success at busy public courts but it's predominately men; very few women feel comfortable hanging out.

wrxinsc

05-01-2013 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx
(Post 7378382)

I used to have a practice partner. She went back to work and is rarely available anymore.

I used to do weekly clinics with a pro with a rotating group of 4.0 women. This was terrific practice and instruction. Two of the women are rarely available, another is often injured. We just disbanded the clinic, which has existed in some form since 2006.

I used to do weekly private lessons. I could still do this, but I am not getting anywhere (to be expected given lack of practice opportunities). It is hard to make progress on 60 minutes of instruction a week.

That leaves me doing little but playing matches. This, too, has cratered. I'm losing and losing, my consistency is dropping, my confidence has evaporated. Just a month ago, I was winning against tough opponents, and now I can't put a ball in the court.

I need to reboot. How does one turn it around against such headwinds?

move south = a lot of tennis opportunities all year long = profit. :)

anubis

05-01-2013 06:40 AM

Cindy, you say you are losing a lot? Perhaps you have plateaued at your current skill level and your opponents have "caught up" to you. I think its time to learn some new tricks by taking some more private, 1 on 1 lessons with a new teaching pro, someone with whom you haven't played with yet.

Perhaps a new teaching pro may find some inconsistencies with your technique, ones that you never thought you had. Perhaps just a few minor adjustments to things such as:

* timing
* shot prep
* balance
* weight transfer

... may mean the difference between extended 20 shot rallies and easy winners after only 5 or 6 shots.

Sometimes we rely on our old habits because they used to work well. Those old habits don't work forever, though. The tennis community evolves around you and everyone is seeking to defeat you. If you have "street cred" in your area, then perhaps people are gunning for you? perhaps your opponents want to take you down on the court. Perhaps they've been studying, working hard, and it's finally paying off.